Ancient Kadurugoda Viharaya

The site was discovered in 1917 by the Magistrate P.E. Pieris where he reported that bricks from this site are being carried away by cart loads by the residents around the area for building of houses. An excavation done in the 1917-1919 has unearthed remains of a shrine room, parts of Buddha Statues, Bodhisattva statues, Buddha foot imprints and coins belonging to pre christian era. Kantarodai (Kadurugoda) in Chunnakam (Hunugama) has been identified as the Kadurugoda Viharaya in the Nam Pota, a book of important Buddhist centers in Sri Lanka, compiled in the Kandyan period.
The term Kantarodai is a corrupted form of the Singhalese word Kandavurugoda or site of a military encampment. The Kandavurugoda became Kadurugoda and it was tamilised in to Kantarodai. In 1917, P.E. Pieris has located 56 Stupas in the area but today only about 20 remains. The largest is about 23 feet in diameter and the smallest is about 6 feet. There are also numbers of foundations of stupas which have disappeared. The stupas are made of coral stone and are gray in colour. They have a very distinguished design with small holes all over. The stupas don't have the standard"Hathares Kotuwa" above the dome. Instead a pinnacle is fixed to the top of the dome.

Point Padro Lighthouse

Point Padro light house lies in the North Eastern corner of Sri Lanka. Built in 1916, this is 32 m (105 ft) tall. Access to the light house was restricted for the last 30 years due to the Tamil Terrorists in the area. After the defeat of the last strong holds of the terrorists in end 2009, the public can now have access to this area. Currently this lighthouse is inside a Naval Base and is used as watch tower.

Nalavarai Bottomless Well

Nalavarai Bottomless Well located 14km north of Jaffna town. It is popular among local tourist for its square well of unknown depth. Nilavarai Bottomless Well has a large square well believed to be formed from an arrow shot by Hanuman to satisfy thirst ofRama. This is famous as the depth unknown (bottomless) well.

Fresh water Spring at Keerimalai

Keerimalai is a natural spring lying next to the sea west of Palaly. A bathing tank is built surrounding this pool and only the walls separate the waters of the spring and the sea. Although the tank is so close to the sea, the water is fresh coming from an underground fresh water spring in Tellipallai-Maviddapuram. The water is not hot. This spring is popular among the Hindus for the miraculous powers it holds. Keerimalai translates in to Mongoose Mound in Tamil. It is said that an Indian priest called Nagula Swami (Nagula Muni) bathed in this pond and his mongoose face was cured and turned in to a human face.
According to Local folklore a pandiyan Princess named Maruthapura Veeravalli built the Hindu Kovil at Keerimalai when she was cured of her horse shaped head after bathing at Keerimalai. From the Jaffna Town you need to take the Palali Road. This is very popular place now that the roads gave been opened. If you like to have a peaceful bath, you need to go early morning since there will be bus loads of people coming there towards the afternoon. The route to Dambakola Patuna Viharaya also lies passing this pond.

Dambakola Patuna

Dambakola Patuna or Jambukola Patuna is an ancient port in the north of Jaffna which was used during pre christian times. After Arahath Mahinda brought Bhuddhism to Sri Lanka in 250BC, his sister, Theri Sanghamitta arrived in Sri Lanka with a Sacred Bo Sapling one year later to this port. The temple Samudda-panasala ( Jambukola Viharaya) was built commemorating the arrival of the Bo sapling by King Devanampiya Tissa (250-210 BC). Later, the same king planted one of the first eight shots of the Sri Maha Bodhi, on the same place where he kept the original tree before bringing it to Anuradhapura. King Vijayabahu I (1070-1110) has restored this site. The remains of the vihara, such as the Buddha footprint stone and vatadage seen up to recent times no longer exist there.
This port gradually faded in importance while port Mahathiththa/ Mahathota/ Mantota (now Mantai) located at the mouth of Malvatu oya developed as a key intersection of sea-routes and the Dambakola Patuna Viharaya was lost in time. The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka, the Mahavamsa and Samanthapaasasdika mention pilgrims coming from "Yonaka" country to Jambukola to worship the Jambukola Viharaya in the ancient times. Unfortunately today there is nothing on the temple which shows any antiquity. Most of the structures in the temple including the stupa which has been completed in a record 65 days have been done by the Sri Lankan Navy. Even the current bo tree was planted in 1998 by the Navy.

Day2

Program:

Day Tour to Delft Island and Nagadeepa Island (Nainathive Island)

Route:

Jaffna > Delft Island > Nagadeepa

Distance:

Maximum: 100 Km

Drive Time:

7.30am to 5.30pm

Places that can visit on this day:

Delft Island Fort

This island was called by the Portuguese ilha das Vacas, had a fort built by them. The Dutch called it Delft Island. The Tamils call it the Neduntheevu or Neduntivu. This is the largest island in the Palk Strait, northern Sri Lanka. Very little of the fort remains today but the book "Romantic Ceylon: its history, legend, and story" By Ralph Henry Bassett describes the fort and the island in detail.

Nagadeepa Purana Rajamaha Viharaya

The Nagadeepa Purana Rajamaha Viharaya is one of the sixteen most sacred places of worship by the Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Pilgrims have been coming to the Nagadeepa since about the 1st century AC to worship at its famous Rajayathana stupa. The Rajayathana stupa was constructed by two warring Naga kings, Chulodara and Mahodara, at the site where Lord Buddha during His second visit to the country on a Bak Maha Amawaka Poya Day, five years after attaining Enlightenment, intervened and mediated in settling a dispute over the possession of a gem-studded throne. The precious throne was offered to the lord Buddha, was returned to the Naga Kings and was later enshrined in this Rajayathana stupa.

Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple

Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple is an ancient and historic Hindu temple located amidst the Palk Strait on the island of Nainativu, Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to Parvati who is known as Nagapooshani or Bhuvaneswari and her consort, Shiva who is named here as Nayinaar. The temple's fame is accredited to Adi Shankaracharya, a 9th-century Hindu philosopher, for identifying it as one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethams in Shakti Peetha Stotram and its mention in the Brahmanda Purana.

END OF THE TOUR

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